1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an agitator for stirring and mixing materials for reaction or thorough mixing.
2. Discussion of the Background
A conventional agitator comprises, as shown in FIG. 3, a rotary shaft a fixedly provided at its lower end with a stirring rotor, a casing b journaling the rotary shaft a, a reduction gear mechanism c joined to one end b.sub.1 of the casing b, and an electric motor d for driving the reduction gear mechanism c. Indicated at e are ball bearings and at f is a gland packing.
This conventional agitator is comparatively long because the reduction gear mechanism c and the electric motor d are disposed on the upper end of the rotary shaft a, and the arrangement of the bearings and the sealing members makes replacement and maintenance of the rotary shaft difficult.
Furthermore, being journaled at one end, the rotary shaft is liable to be flexed by a bending moment, and hence vibrations and noise are generated and the agitating performance of the agitator is unsatisfactory.